Cinema Blend has posted the second image made public for Spike Jonze’sWhere the Wild Things Are, depicting Max, played by Hollywood newcomer Max Records, admiring a sunlit view amongst his silhouetted Wild Thing friends. (MTV News unearthed the first available image last June.)

Although Wild Things is not scheduled for release until October 3rd of 2008, and production is far from complete, Spike Jonze reportedly asked to screen a very rough cut (without a finalized score or finished effects) to test audiences nonetheless. AICN recently ran five very early accounts from test screening viewers who recounted how the Wild Things, outfitted in costumes by the Jim Henson Creature Shop, were rendered expressionless without their to-be-GCI’d faces.

Jonze co-wrote the screenplay with author Dave Eggers. While the two were busy expanding the 300-or-so-word picture-book into a full-blown feature length script, Maurice Sendak, who penned the original children’s classic, tapped Eggers to write another original Wild Things story set for release at the same time as the film. It’s rumored to be geared more towards adults, though Eggers said, “I’m hoping it’s for all ages. Although it wouldn’t make sense to anyone under 8.”

As Eggers told The Montreal Gazette, Sendak’s story was not entirely well-received by school librarians and child psychologists back in 1963: “It showed a kid sort of disobeying his mother and acting crazy – which all kids do, but you still don’t see much of in children’s literature. It’s too often washed clean.” The three agreed to again take an unwhitewashed approach. “Spike and Maurice and I just decided we needed to make the book wild and dangerous again, and unexpected,” said Eggers. “The movie is really unlike anything anyone will expect, and the book is different from both [the film and Sendak’s original].”

Catherine Keener plays Max’s mother, while Forest Whitaker, James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara andPaul Dano are among the cast used to voice the creatures. Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) recently replaced Michelle Williams as one of the vocal talents (Hollywood Reporter).